An exhibition of work by visual communication students in response to the term popularised in the 1970's by Alvin Toffler; exhibits are informed by themes of content excess, sensory overload, fragmented decision making, and graphic malfunction in the 24/7 information economy

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Often we find ourselves purchasing medicines from our local stores as cure for our aches and pains without thinking twice about it, the side effects of such medicines can therefore remain unknown or ignored. Aspirin, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are all easily obtained, and cheap to buy and can produce shocking side effects. This exhibit highlights the side effects of unprescribed medicines that are usually skipped over and unread. But the question is whether or not we should worry?

Food companies overload buyers with colours, bold fonts and nice aesthetics usually allocating insufficient design space to ingredient facts and other specific and useful information. By deconstructing and re-presenting the layout of a number of food products this exhibit aims to highlight examples of how brand language often dominates the pack area at the expense of other nutritional or content information which is just as important for the consumer

Many teenagers have problems with acceptance of their body image leading to eating disorders and extreme diets that sometimes result in tragic consequences. The messages we receive through adverts try to sell us a constructed definition of physical perfection, which some young people come to accept, and try to aspire to; That's why I say ENOUGH.

We are all subjected to information overload in one way or another; many of us own a smart phone or have access to the internet with as much cloud storage as we require. My exhibition will showcase the vast increase in data storage over the last 30 years. We all take data storage for granted, but where would we be without it? For the majority of people it holds a lifetime of memories and information documenting our lives and who we are today.

“Forming grammatically correct sentences is for the normal individual the prerequisite for any submission to social laws. No one is supposed to be ignorant of grammaticality; those who are belong in special institutions. The unity of language is fundamentally political.”

Gilles Deleuze.

This exhibit explores the importance of grammar in everyday life and draws attention to the issue of missing grammar as being missing information. The brain processes but is sent confused signals. How important is grammar and punctuation to you?

There are two different types of listening; passive and active, we are bombarded by so much sensory input every day that we become passive listeners, we zone out and habituate. However, when actively listening we may hone in on details that would usually pass us by. My exhibit aims to demonstrate this by using mundane sounds.

My earliest memory of online piracy was around the age of 11, walking through a local market and seeing a man selling hundreds of newly released films, all of which were pirated. It’s strange to think how 10 years ago someone was able to sell copyrighted DVDs out in the open, without realising the impact this has on the industry. My exhibition piece makes use of animated infographics and aims to make people think twice before using online torrents.

We all create and save data on computers but what about physical items we want to hold on to? It is easy to reach a potential overload of information items. This exhibit documents different approaches to the organisation and storage of information objects.

We absorb huge amounts of information on a regular basis and as new ways of developing technology for communication continues to develop, consumption will increase until we become perpetually overloaded by information. This exhibit represents seven days of information absorbed by one person. The aim is to showcase findings through typography and print.

How much information do we absorb on a regular basis? By the amount of information that is available to us today, it is not hard to imagine that this is a huge amount. An article in The Daily Telegraph’s Science section in 2011 pointed to the statistic that “94 per cent of all data is stored in a digital form”, yet physical items, such as books are still being used. This video footage considers different media sources conveying a continuum of information consumption

Only “7% of Britons read the online terms and conditions when signing up for products and services.” (Smithers. R, 2011). We don’t want to spend time reading lengthy, detailed texts, when we want to be using the products or services . . . but without checking before we accept, what in reality are we agreeing to? This exhibit re-considers what is agreed by consumer acceptance of Apple’s iCloud terms and conditions.

Smithers, R. (2011) Terms and conditions: not reading the small print can mean big problems. The Guardian [Online]. Published 11th May. [12/12/16]. Available at:<https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/may/11/terms-conditions-small-printbig-problems>.

“ I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots ” (ATTRIBUTED TO ALBERT EINSTEIN)

Society has become too preoccupied with technology, with many of us spending up to at least eight hours a day online. This exhibit is intended to convey the amount of time we spend engaged with digital media. Surely human interaction is more important? . . . . . Or is it too late.

Whilst online networking may seem relatively innocent at first glance even to those who consider themselves to be conscious of potential issues, the truth is, the vast majority of social network users neglect their security and are essentially handing out personal information for anyone who happens to discover their online presence. My project documents the broad range of information users are comfortable sharing online and the simplistic methods that can be used to harvest this data. The approach adopted is intended, to make the viewer think twice before clicking upload.

This exhibit explores the effect of information overload through technology by examining the way people feel after using electronic devices for extended periods of time. The artist has documented a range of experiences conveying how information overload affects health. Medical information sheets and medicine packaging are used as backgrounds for case studies, connecting treatment for health issues resulting from overuse of technology with participants experiences.

In a world where Facebook has over one and half billion active users, and 44% of all American adults get their news from social media how much of it can be considered reliable? A recent study conducted by Buzzfeed showed that a surprising number of right and left wing news stories were either false or misleading. Claims that fake news could have had a significant influence on the outcome of the US election are entirely feasible; and with Mark Zuckerburg claiming 99% of Facebook news is true how much can we trust the news from our media?

A staggering quantity of information is fed to us on a daily basis – but we don’t often stop to evaluate how, why and when we choose to engage with it. We accept new ways of absorbing information and communicating as progress – but are we really moving forwards? In a parallel universe wherein the text message was popularised before the phone call, the phone call will one day become an exciting new development; just imagine, hearing your friend’s actual voice after years of impersonal text messages!

"Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings - always darker, emptier and simpler."

Friedrich Nietzsche

In life we are surrounded by information telling us what to do and what not to do. Our brains can fight back and subvert our responses. This exhibit explores intrusive thoughts formed in response to the every day bombardment of information experienced by so many

One in a hundred people in the United Kingdom have Autism. For those on the Autism spectrum, information overload experiences are a daily issue. ‘Self stimulatory behaviour’ or 'stimming', encompasses a variety of actions or behaviours that provide the Autistic person with a means of coping in overwhelming situations, such as repeatedly tapping, spinning or arranging items in order. This exhibit references information overload through a disorganised composition of posters, conveying the self-stimulatory behaviour that provides Autistic people with relief.